Alluding to the unstable situation of the country and challenges faced by different classes of the society, Shaikh Abdol-Hamid put establishment of a consultative council from the entrusted elites of different communities for revising the current policies and strategies.

Recently the official website of Shaikh Abdol-Hamid, the Friday imam of Sunnis in Zahedan and president of Darululoom Zahedan published a detailed interview of him which contains important messages to the Iranian centers of power and decision makers about the challenges and crises of the country.

The most influential Iranian Sunni leader has expounded the problems of different communities in Iran, especially the Sunni community. The interview concludes with the proposal of establishing a consultative council from the opponent and sympathetic elites of all communities including Sunnis.

He termed the establishment of this authorized council a key step to obtain the pleasure of the nation and strengthen the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Ml. Abdol-Hamid urged the ongoing wrong policies were “rectifiable”. He said: “Discrimination is a ‘strategy’ and an unwritten agreement which has been put on the Sunni community since the birth of the 1979 revolution. The strategies and policies related to Iranian Sunnis have been designed and drafted in some religious circles.”

“There is no any Sunni-dominated region in Iran without discrimination; however there is difference in the severity of discrimination against the Sunni citizens in different regions,” he added more.

The member of the MWL pointed out to the consequences of implementation of “discriminative policies” after the downfall of Saddam Hussein regime in Iraq. He said: “Nouri al-Maleki destroyed Iraq by marginalizing the Sunni community. Extremism in Iraq is the result of discrimination. It is the root of disasters in any country”.

He called on revising policies of “restricting religious freedom” for religious minorities and said: “Making religious limitations is in contrast with the teachings of Islam and the constitution. I think the policies of restricting religious freedoms have been drafted, managed and approved by particular religious circles in the country. Especially they want to control and manage the religious affairs of the Sunni community.”

Mawlana Abdol-Hamid further said: “Establishing ‘Shura of Management & Planning for Sunni Schools’ as the key decision-maker with mainly Shia members was against the clear text of the constitution. It is an unjust act. Religious interference has brought negative consequences for different regions which should be reformed.”

“The security agencies consider themselves ‘jacks of all trades in some Sunni regions. They try to control religious affairs of Sunnis by interfering in their religious issues and putting pressure on Ulama and Friday imams,” he added more.

Shaikh Abdol-Hamid asked: “Why Sunnis in Iran face restrictions for building mosques? Why they should take permission from the representatives of the supreme leader instead of the Department of Endowments? What is wrong if Sunni scholars and Ulama meet each other in different provinces and why they face restrictions? Even in countries where radical views are common Shia minorities do not face such pressures.”

“The silence of the Sunni community about the discriminations and problems does not mean they are satisfied and happy with the ongoing circumstances, rather they just keep silent to maintain peace and unity and avoid from tensions,” the most influential Iranian Sunni leader said.

He also urged on making sure ‘freedom of speech’ and ‘freeing political prisoners’ in his interview and said: “Security agencies should not put pressure on politicians, journalists and people. They must be free to express their views. Freedom of speech does not harm us, rather it boosts internal strengthen and fame.”

“In the recent wide-spread protests some people said this regime was not amendable and should be changed. On the other hand, there is a viewpoint that the regime can be reformed by changing some strategies. I prefer the second option,” Khateeb of Sunnis underlined.

He urged on ‘revising domestic and foreign policies’ for enhancing unity and national security. He said: “The above-mentioned changes and reforms can be brought by a consultative council and executed by the firm order of the supreme leader. It will make the nation satisfied.”